Learning Experience
by Page-Mistress
Summary: Zed learns quite a few things in his... relationship with Patricia Tannis. Enjoyable and intimate things. Though some are rather surprising. Quite possibly the first ever fic that focuses solely on the pairing of Zed and Tannis, aka Doctorate Schmoctorate. Rated for sex. NOTE: Promised chapters now both up! Third chapter actually has some plot to it. Bonus song list at the end.
1. Chapter 1

AN: A Doctorate Schmoctorate Pairing, AKA Tannis and Zed. Doctorate Schmoctorate is from the mind of Dahlicious, who can be found on tumblr. I just like the name. Any way, this came about after looking at Borderlands fanfics on here and AO3, reading posts on Borderlands Confessions, and finally getting fed up enough with the lack of stories for this pairing enough that I decided to try to fix that.

...I then remembered I was actually already trying to do that, and had hit my rather common problem of "I have ideas but can't get beyond a general outline of what I want". The problem was made worse by the fact I... haven't played the games. I just kind of fell in love with the series based on things made by fans who did.

...so I just started writing about what sex is like for them. Which, given I've only ever tried something like this twice before and hated both, is actually a big deal for me. I'm gonna say what resulted is perfect, but I'm happier than I was with the others.

Oddly, despite the fact I identify with Tannis more, this is focused on Zed.

More notes at the end.

I own nothing but the fic itself. Zed, Tannis and Borderlands are Gearbox's.

EDIT 4/27/2015: Realized I had no lines dividing sections for this chapter and the third one. wouldn't let me do what I usually do, so I got creative.

* * *

Chapter 1

* * *

Zed figures out pretty quick that sex with Patricia Tannis is a learning experience. A very sexy and fun one, with equally fun and sexy tests.

Technically, the first time was more like a pop quiz consisting of two questions. Is Dr. Patricia Tannis a virgin, and is Dr. Zed qualified enough to give her a good first time?

Turned out the answer to both was yes. The last one was a _very_ mutually satisfying yes.

It's about when the second time starts that he figures he should pay attention to what she likes so there can be even more times.

* * *

He learns pretty quickly that she really likes kissing. Kissing is good for foreplay. And during sex. And after sex. And for no reason than one of them just feels like kissing. And for when one of them decides to combat any annoyances by teasing the other by coming close to them but not actually touching or touches them in a way that's almost inappropriate to make it clear that they'll pay for it later. And for giving the other an incentive to finish whatever they're doing either now or later quickly, for obvious reasons.

He learns that she likes to be touched. That one's technically obvious because they're having sex, but it's the way she trembles when he does, the way she moves to give him better access. The fact she tries to get as much of her clothing off as possible without moving away from him and presses herself as close as she can. And those teasing almost touches or almost inappropriate touches during the day that say "I'm doing this because you're getting on my nerves and we both know I won't actually do anything else until later tonight". Almost touches work during foreplay and sex too. One of his favorites is the way she'll move when one of his hands is teasing her with almost touches, squirming to get him inside, and then the way she'll move when his fingers are giving pleasure inside the place had previously only ever been touched by her own before him.

Holding technically goes with touching, but not really at the same time. It was more than just holding herself close to him. She often holds the back of his head when they make out. Or when he's kissing her neck once her choker is off. Or when he's giving her breasts the attention they deserve and making sure to given the same treatment to each. And especially when his head is between her legs and his tongue is inside of her. She'll hold him there while he drinks her essence and then hold him even closer while she spasms as if to reward him or pull him up and away because she needs him inside of her. And of course, especially when he's deep inside her. It's like she's trying to make sure he doesn't leave.

He learns all about the noises she makes. Sometimes she's talking; not actual dirty talk or anything, and the one time she actually tried sorta killed the mood because it sounded so weird and he had to kiss her to make her stop and ask her never to do that again. No, Zed likes to call what Patricia does "erotic talk", when she's begging him to touch her or keep touching her, with "please" or "don't stop" and the like, begging for more, and when he's inside and moving she'll say all that too. Or when she tells him just how good he makes her feel. His personal favorite is his name, because it just sounds so good coming from her lips. Sometimes, she just makes noises, moans and breathy little sounds that are music to him.

* * *

Of course, the foreplay isn't one sided. Zed's more than happy to let her explore and figure out what he likes and then put all that into practice. But he learns some stuff then, too. Like when she's got her lips on his ears and she gently bites, the fact that the only other guy who's had that privilege had it torn off with her teeth is actually a turn on for him. He learns how nice it feels to have her hands moving up and down his chest before finally just moving down. The first time that happened she stopped, so close and yet so far, which at the time probably should have clued him into the whole "virgin" thing but all he could think of was stopping her from having second thoughts so he reached down and placed her hands on him. When her hesitant touches slowly became more confident might have clued him in if not for the fact that he's too focused on the sensation to think beyond a decision to use his own fingers to return the favor.

Later, he teaches her just how he likes to be touched, and now sometimes she'll tease him by placing one or both of her hands close just like she did then and not move them until he reaches down and moves her himself and holds her there. He learns that all he needs to do then is beg though he still does not let go until her hand starts moving.

And god, but one of the hottest things to ever happen in this relationship of theirs (actually, that's a lie, he can't just pick one hottest thing) occurred after one of many times he had pleasured her with his tongue until she came undone. Once she had enough of her breath back, she asked him if he'd like her to reciprocate. He learns just how nice that looks and feels. Even now, she'll often say that, though no longer hesitantly, and he still thinks it's hot.

* * *

His favorite thing that he's learned is during the actual sex. Unless she's not in a position to do so, she'll wrap her legs and hook them behind his back. God damn, does that feel good. And if they aren't facing the right way she likes it when he's got at least one arm wrapped around her waist, because her hands will cling to it and hold it there. And she likes when he tells her just how good she feels as he moves in her, even if he's just repeating words when he does.

There's a lot more he's figured out with that. And while they're all favorites, the biggest one is one they both really like.

It's when her legs are around him and she's got her arms around him and he's got his around her and they're moving together and that pleasurable pressure just keeps building. It's how they did it the very first time, and it has yet to stop being just as good.

* * *

End Chapter 1

* * *

AN2: Got to the end? Great. I will accept comments and creative critiques on this. Like I said before, I'm content with this, but my inner critic always thinks my work can be approved and thinks more can be done. Most of the time at least. And now, I have an announcement.

[sign appears that reads: _**THIS IS IMPORTANT**_]

See, this isn't all you're getting. I'll be uploading a second part on Valentine's Day. I'm actually done with it, but I figure anyone who likes this pairing deserves a treat.

I'm actually rather proud of myself with it, so I hope the wait will prove to be worth it.

It might be obvious, but it's about Zed and Patricia's first time. And if any of you were paying attention, it's also her first time.

And let me put it this way. Think of this chapter as foreplay. The next one will be what comes after.

I do hope that intrigues you, dear reader.

_**NEW NOTE**_: Okay, after seeing just how popular this is, I've decided to write a third chapter, so on Feb 14th, you guys get a double update.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: [awkward clearing of the throat noise] So… originally this was part of the previous chapter. After I got done, I realized "it's practically a scene already". Since that's the case, I figure it's time for me to try actually writing a sex scene again. My last two tries… Well, the second never got finished anyway, because I never even got past the foreplay and I think I kept thinking of how bad it sounded as I wrote it. The first one… well, once I finished, I read it over, and then deleted it. I'm not sure what I was thinking when I wrote it, honestly. Seriously, I wrote the thing when I was reading John Gardner's Grendel, and when I finished I'm pretty sure I thought "what was I thinking?" This is just skipping the foreplay, and going straight to the actual sex part. I mean, like I said, I was pretty much summing up what happened originally, and then I just looked at it and thought "well, I've technically done an outline for how it goes, so I guess I can give writing a sex scene another shot". And unlike my last two tries, I look at this when I'm done and I don't find myself wondering what I was thinking.

Chapter Summary: The first time they have sex, Zed learns Patricia Tannis is a virgin.

* * *

Chapter 2

* * *

In retrospect, this was probably something he should have figured out sooner. He should have noticed that the foreplay on her end was kinda awkward; he should have figured it out when she was so hesitant to actually touch him _there_.

However, neither of those things crossed his mind, so it isn't until he's turned them around so he's sitting on the edge of the bed, pulled her into his lap and plunged all the way into her and really realized just how tight she is, felt the slight bit of resistance, heard the slight cry of pain, that Zed figured out that Patricia Tannis was still a virgin.

…which begged the question as to how serious she had been about that standing offer she'd apparently made to the newer Vault Hunters when they'd first showed up at Sanctuary, but he could wonder about that later.

He starts to pull out of her, but only enough that he isn't all the way in to the hilt before he has to stop. Torturous as it is staying inside her, he's gonna have to for two reasons. Moving caused sensations that were rather distracting, and he might have forgotten not to just plunge right back in if he kept going. But more importantly, despite that sensation, he can't help but notice that look on her face; eyes squeezed shut, tears at the corners, teeth biting her lower lip, nails digging into his shoulders (those last two might have been sexy under different circumstances, but not right now) all tell him that moving isn't helping her. And that part of him that's a decent person decides that right now he needs to focus on not moving, ignore how tight she felt (because that was connected to the whole "not moving" thing), because the crazy woman (seriously, why didn't she say something?) was sorta crying and he's not the kind of ass who would just ignore that.

Careful not to jostle her, he lifts his hands from her waist to her face and wipes the pinpricks of tears from her eyes, the action enough to relax her so that her nails aren't digging into him anymore and open her eyes to look at him. "Any particular reason you decided not to bring up the whole virgin thing? I mean, damn, woman, I might have gone easier on you if you had."

And he finds himself looking at a shy Patricia Tannis, and not her normal brand of shy where she tries to get people to leave, but the kind most people have. Or maybe it's embarrassment. He's not sure he's ever seen this look on her before. "I'm sorry."

He keeps his hands on her face so that she keeps looking at him, "Didn't ask for an apology, woman."

"I thought about it, especially earlier, but I-I just," she moves her hands so that her arms are loosely wrapped his neck, which surprises him, because it cause her to shift ever so slightly and he feels himself just barely move in her, though not enough that he thinks that was her intention. "Touching myself never felt like that; you made me feel so good. So, so good."

Zed didn't say anything, he couldn't say anything. Because those words sound so hot, especially coming from her. Even that mental image she just gave him only briefly flickers in his mind before he ignores it and focuses on those words, because he wants to remember them forever.

Patricia apparently misunderstands his lack of response, because she surprises him yet again by suddenly wrapping her legs around his waist. This causes him to push in and it's not much more than the movement from seconds ago, but this time it's somewhat intentional, and her expression suggests it's not completely unbearable. She looks him in the eye and whispers, "Please don't stop, Zed."

He hadn't thought he was capable of stopping before, now he knew he couldn't because how could he possibly deny either of them? And the mood might have not been what is was by what happened, his experience with virgins basically being limited to when he himself was one; he's still hard inside her, and Zed thinks he has a good idea of how to get that fire going again and give Patricia a damn good time.

Zed takes his hands off her face to wrap his arms around her, his right around her waist and his left higher up, his hand against her back and pushing her upper body forward so that her ear is right next to his mouth.

"Patricia, don't think I could stop 'less you told me to," he tells her, slowly beginning to thrust once the sentence is out of his mouth.

Sure, it takes every ounce of will power he's got to go this slowly, but he's not moving any faster until she's used to it and she starts participating again.

He keeps talking as he moves, "See, I been thinking about this for a while now. Wondering, fanaticizing, dreaming about what it would be like to be with you like this, to be inside, you around me. It's been driving me crazy, wondering what you feel like."

He stops moving for a moment, fully inside so she understands exactly what he means, and whispers, "It's better than I ever imagined."

He moves again, still slowly, still talking while she starts making those breathy little noises again, "You're so hot, so wet, so tight; I don't think I ever want to leave, not sure anyone else could ever feel this good. You being a virgin might have been a surprise, but guess what? The fact that I'm the first man to ever know how goddamn good it feels to be inside you, is arousing like you wouldn't believe."

It's getting hard to stay at this speed, really hard, but he keeps up the slow thrusts in and out of her. "You know why I stopped us earlier? It's 'cause I decided that the first time I ever came with you, made you come, I wanted to be inside you when it happened. And you know what? The fact that the first time we do is gonna be the first time a man ever does it to you, the first time you ever do that to a man, the fact that moment is gonna be with me and I'm gonna be buried deep inside you and we're both gonna feel everything?"

He moves his hand from her back to her shoulder, pulling her back slightly so that he's looking her in the eyes, "Patricia Tannis, that fact is so. Fucking. Erotic. And-" He punctuates the last four words each with slightly harder, slightly faster thrusts.

"Beautiful," he all but groans, because as he says it she moves her hips with his for the first time and it's a wonder he doesn't break eye contact with her, it feels so good.

They slowly move together more and more, and he can't tell her anything else because their lips are wrapped together and her tongue is meeting his. He catches all the little noises coming from her throat in his mouth and they taste so good, and he reciprocate with noises from his own into her mouth and they must taste good too, because she's got her hands on his head like she wants to make sure he doesn't pull away.

Eventually they reach the point where they're moving together with such fervor that they have to stop kissing if they want to keep breathing. Their mouths are next to each other's ear, but all they can bring themselves to say is the other's name over and over.

"Zed-Zed! I'm, I'm…" she eventually gasps out, and isn't that a boost to the ego that she's too caught up in the sensations to say an actual sentence?

"I know, Patricia, I know," He pants. "So close… You want me to pull out, it's gonna have to be now."

Her arms and legs wrap around him even tighter, "Please don't! Oh, god, you made it sound so good! I want to feel you while you feel me!"

He's amazed to find himself holding her tighter, moving in and out with even more energy, as he growls out, "God, yes!"

And finally, mere seconds later, the moment comes. Zed just barely manages to think to cover her mouth with his own to muffle their moans as they ride waves of fucking erotic and beautiful pleasure.

And oh god, it's better than he thought it would be. He doesn't think he's ever cum so hard, and he's pretty sure she never has, either.

When their mutual climax is finally over, he moves his arms to more supportive positions around her while he somehow finds the energy to move backwards so that they're completely on the bed. She unhooks her legs as he does, and when he lays back on the bed she's lying on top of him.

"Zed?" She asks after a minute. "Could I stay here for a while? I… don't think I'm going to be capable of movement for a few hours."

He chuckles, "I got no problem with that." He takes an arm off of her to grab the blanket he'd pushed to the side when he got up that morning and pulls it over them.

She lays her head against his shoulder. "Mmm, thank you," she murmurs.

He settles his arm back against her, "So… any chance of this being more than a one-time thing?"

When she doesn't answer him, he thinks that she's perhaps fallen asleep.

When he's starting to drift off himself, she answers in a sleepy voice, "I'm finding myself rather partial to the idea of doing this again. And perhaps in my bed next time. And by next time, I mean tomorrow."

He grins sleepily, "Sounds good to me."

* * *

End Chapter 2

* * *

AN: So, if got this far and find yourself wondering if I've ever even had sex because some of the details bother you... no. No I haven't. I just pictured what I wanted to happen with this scene and used the mental images I liked the best.

Oh, and lots of love songs. I might put a list at the end of the final chapter.

As always, reviews are appreciated.

Chapter 3 will be up later today.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: GAH! I didn't intend to write anything else! But I couldn't just leave this as a sex only relationship! So this fixes that. Kinda. It kinda has plot, so it wasn't as easy to write. Plus, I'm actually writing out foreplay with this one. Why did I do this? I blame the twenty two people who read the first chapter within hours of it being put up on Saturday. Some of whom read it more than once. You made me want to give more, damn it!

And I thought about giving up a few times, but then at one point I looked at the views for the one chapter I had up at the time, and saw that some one from Korea and someone from Russia had read it. That... that pretty much sealed it. Even if they never came back to read the other chapters, I was suddenly determined to finish.

Happy Valentine's Day! Thanks to all you lovely people who thought this story was worth reading!

Chapter Summary: Weeks after Zed accidentally admits his feelings to Patricia and she winds up running, he decides to go after her and make her face it so he can learn where they even stand. He winds up learning a little more than he anticipated. Takes place just hours after Torgue hijacked Tannis' broadcast to announce the Campaign of Carnage.

* * *

Zed hasn't seen Patricia in two weeks.

God, does he wish it was because of something as simple as being busy. Yes, she left Sanctuary to go check something out that might be Vault related; that had been what she told people when she left.

Zed figures that was, at best, half the reason.

The other half was because he went and did something stupid. Really, really stupid. Something he had managed to avoid doing since they had started having sex.

He'd woken up before her after a night of sex, and she had looked so relaxed and he had felt so content that he couldn't help but think "I love you."

Only it had turned out she hadn't still been asleep. And that he had said it out loud.

She'd gotten out of his bed, dressed, and out the door, ignoring his attempts to try to get her attention or make her look at him.

She'd left that day, and was basically avoiding him with this little trip.

Zed was tired of his messages that she talk to him going ignored, tired of trying to figure out what he was supposed to do.

So when he sees the feed where she attempted to tell the Vault Hunters about the Vault she had found, which was hijacked by Mister Torgue, he packs some things and tells Lilith, Brick, and Mordecai he's going away for a while.

Mordecai helpfully gives him the coordinates for exactly where Tannis is camped near the, as Torgue had dubbed it against her wishes, "Badass Crater of Badassitude". He doesn't ask how he knew. Neither of the other two had looked surprised when he did. He doesn't asked about that either.

When Dr. Patricia Tannis finally gets back to her campsite after a very long "chat" with one Mister Torgue Flexington (which had consisted of her getting a headache from his constant yelling and essentially retaliated by using as many big words as she could), it was to discover a portable shower has been installed and connected to her tent.

Torgue had apparently been serious when he said that he was impressed when he had confronted her about deliberately using "words with way too many syllables" and she had truthfully admitted to it, and that it deserved a reward of some kind, judging by the logo pattern on the curtains. And had apparently paid attention when she listed the reasons she wasn't happy about him barging in like he had. (Which had included what all she'd been putting up with since getting there.)

So she had turn on the lamp beside her cot (night finally approaching), grabbed her robe and a towel and put it to good use.

Her resultant relaxed mood vanished when she exited into what she was now mentally referring to as the main tent and found Zed leaning against her desk.

They stare at each other for a moment before Zed slowly moves his gaze from her face all the way down her robe covered body to her feet clad in her rather durable slippers (because she refuses to walk on a bare surface anywhere after she bathes. It rather defeats the purpose), and then just as slowly back up. "Nice look."

She crosses her arms, though the effect is somewhat ruined by the fact she's holding her clothes from the day, her used towel, and the basket with her shower supplies and goggles, "What are you doing here?"

"What do you think?"

She turns away from him and sets about taking as long as possible to put everything away, "I think you should leave, doctor."

She can almost feel him roll his eyes, "Back to that? Gonna have to add that to the list of things I've learned about you, "uses nicknames to distance herself from others." Well, officially add it, at least."

She puts the basket on its makeshift shelf and folds her towel, "And yet you're still here, doctor."

"I'm not going anywhere."

She folds her clothes, not saying anything. She hears movement behind her, but not away from her.

"I've learned a lot about you, last few months. Was learning stuff before that, too. Most of it I've either liked, or come to accept as being part of you." He snorts, "And yeah, I know you distance yourself when you aren't comfortable. That's fine. But this whole "ignore and run away" thing?"

She puts her clothes in her bag and slowly closes it, not taking her hands off when she does.

"Woman, I tried giving you space. I figured you would send me some kind of message telling me something. I made sure I didn't go overboard when I started sending you messages asking that you talk to me, hell, after a while I was sending them because you weren't answering and I wanted to make sure you were goddamn alive! You haven't been talking to anyone! I saw yer little broadcast and decided I was done with putting up with this. I'm not letting you ignore this anymore, Patricia."

Her fingers clench around the bag, and she knows he can hear her nails scrape against the material.

"No matter how much you aggravate me sometimes, fact is, I do love you. I've loved you since before that first time we slept together. Lotta reasons why I do, before you ask, top three being surviving by yourself on Pandora for the longest time without going nuts beyond the point of no return, being funny without even realizing it, and being smart as hell. I didn't plan on it coming out the way it did, but I'm not taking it back.

"If we were done, you would say so. You are always very clear about when you're done dealing with someone or something. You haven't even told me you want me to leave, just that you think I should. So you know what I think? I think you don't know what to do."

She takes a deep breath, tries hard not to let it shake.

She hears him stop moving. "Patricia, please talk to me," he says softly.

The wall she put up to ignore this whole situation since he said those three words comes tumbling down and she spins around to face him. She doesn't care that she's naked under her robe, she's frustrated and scared and confused and she can't hold it in anymore.

"What do you want me to say? Do you want me to say it's over, to actually tell you to leave? Well, you're right, I can't! When this was just about sex it was easy! When we started flirting it was okay because it was just about the sex and I could deal with that! Then you had to go and tell me you love me and now it's not easy! I. Don't. Know. How. To. Deal. With. That!"

Zed just stands there as she starts to pace and gesture wildly, "I can only deal with complicated when it involves science! I'm horrible at it when it comes to people! You know that! Consequently, I'm just as horrible when it comes to emotions! My brain isn't wired the same as most people's, so I can't deal with it as well! You're right, things come up that I can't deal with I do what I can to make them leave without dealing with them!"

She stops and turns to face him again, "You want me to talk to you? Fine! I don't know if I've ever loved someone in a romantic sense before!" She brings her hands up and clutches her hair, "I don't know how to deal with you loving me because I think I might! I have a list of reasons why I do and a list of why it wouldn't work and I keep seeing it and getting scared that you'll leave and I'll be alone so I just ignored thinking about my feelings and I know I've screwed up everything because going off on my own and ignoring people means I am alone and I don't want to be but this way it's my choice! But now you're here I can't tell you to leave because I think about telling you that and my chest aches which probably means that I love you, Zed and- and-"

She closes her eyes against stinging tears. About a second after that she hears him move again.

"Aw, hell, woman. I came for answers, not make you cry." She feels his hands gently grab her wrists and pull her hands down. She doesn't open them, even as he wraps an arm around her shoulders.

"C'mon," he says as he gently leads her to what turns out to be her cot when he helps her sit down. His arm stays where is it, and his other hand is still holding a wrist.

"I'm sorry, Zed," she sobs, not caring how pathetic she must look or sound.

"'M sorry too," he says and she doesn't protest when he pulls her into his lap and he wraps his arms around her. "You were scared, I get that."

For a while, they just sit there and he lets her cry, occasionally murmuring that "it's okay".

"Zed?" she asks when her breathing calms down and she's out of tears.

"Yeah?"

She wraps her arms around him, "Please don't go. I want you to stay."

"If I leave this tent tonight, Patricia, it's because you're with me," he replies, kissing the side of her head.

Patricia buries her face in his neck and just sits there, breathing him in. Eventually, she lifts her head up, "Zed?"

"Yeah?"

She leans closer, "Please kiss me." It comes out a little breathier than she intends.

He moves a hand to cradle the back of her head as he complies. It's a different kiss than the ones they've shared before, fueled more by emotion rather than passion.

Still, it's been a while since she's been in his arms. Now she's there, in his lap, practically naked, kissing him, and she's admitted she loves him. Zed can't stop his body from responding to that.

He pulls back from the kiss to apologize and tell her to ignore it, because he's not gonna push his luck. However, one of her hands moves to place fingers against his lips before he can speak.

She looks at him through half lidded eyes. "Please make love to me," she murmurs before she moves her hand and replaces it with her lips. More than anything, right now, she wants to be as close to him as she can.

They either never break the kiss or share several, it's hard to tell.

Somehow, shoes are taken off, and Zed's clothing is removed until he's down to his boxers and her hands move to his back, lingering briefly before they travel to his front. Somehow, and he isn't sure when exactly it happened, he's moved so that he's sitting on the cot with her legs on either side of his hips and once her hands are on his chest he leans back without thinking about anything beyond giving her more access, and it might have gone badly had she not bought what was probably the only cot in existence with a headboard.

Elegant fingers trace muscles most don't know he has, lingering over scars he's gotten for one reason or another, because this is Pandora and there isn't much on the planet that won't try to attack and/or kill you; every native has at least one scar and he's just as proud of being native to the planet and living there his whole life as anyone.

An idea occurs to Patricia, one that makes her cheeks go just a little pink, but she's already been brave enough (albeit by way of a slight breakdown) to admit to Zed how she feels, so why not? The mechanics of her idea seem sound, anyway.

Carefully, she leans forward, sliding one hand down his chest while the other moves behind his neck to pull him closer. Their lips meet just as her hand slides down into his boxers and wraps around him.

Patricia then proceeds to stroke her tongue against his at the same time her hand strokes his cock.

He groans into her mouth and grows stiffer in her hand and it's a heady thing.

She does this again and again, her movements slightly awkward as she tries to keep them at the same pace and, judging from the way Zed is gripping her hips and moving his own beneath her, this trial run is going rather well.

Eventually, she stops and pulls back for air. Zed stares at her, somehow both dazed and intently at once.

Before she can ask what he thought of it, he surprises her by grabbing her hand and pulling it away from him.

"Not fair for you to do all the work, is it?" he asks. His free hand moves to the belt of her robe, "And nice as the idea of just leaving this on is, right now it feels like you're overdressed."

"I… have a rose pink silk one that might be more appropriate for that." She says as he begins to undo the knot with one hand, unable to keep that mental image of wearing that robe she'd bought on a whim on top of him with his hands on her hips to herself.

She isn't even sure if he's picturing the same position, but the way he looks at her as he brings the hand he's still holding to his face and kisses her wrist makes it pretty clear he's keeping the information in mind.

As he does away with the knot at the belt and lets go of her hand to slowly slide her robe down her shoulders and off her arms, it occurs to Patricia that, logically, there is no reason for her to be blushing right now; he's certainly undressed her before.

But he had never looked at her like this as he did before, had he? Like he was unwrapping some sort of precious gift; and it occurs to her when she registers the love in his eyes as he tosses the robe aside that he's been keeping himself from looking at her like that until now. The knowledge that he won't stop himself from looking at her like that anymore makes her feel so warm that she can't help smiling a little as she leans forward to kiss him.

He wraps an arm around her waist and turns them so that their positions are reversed and he's on top of her and she's the one leaning against the headboard. All the while he kisses her like they have nothing but time.

Patricia is so caught up in the kiss that she doesn't realize the arm around her waist has moved until she feels his fingers are her opening.

"Just thought I'd return the favor," Zed murmurs in a low voice that promises she's about to feel very, very good.

Pretty soon, Patricia is writhing against him as his fingers slowly thrust inside of her and the tongue in her mouth mimics the movement at the exact same speed. And it does feel good, just like it always does, but he refuses to change his pace, so it isn't enough to push her over the edge.

She doesn't even have a chance to say anything when he removes those fingers before he has his hands touching her everywhere and his lips on her neck, right over her pulse. And she can feel him, hard against her but in no way positioned to go in.

"Zed," Patricia moans as a hand covers one of her breasts, "I know what I said, but we have all night to make love and I need you right now!"

He chuckles a little as he lifts his head and lowers his hands to align their hips, placing himself at her entrance, "Not sure you could make that sound any better."

Patricia smiles slightly, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his hips, pushing him so that he's just touching her where she needs him most right now, "Please make love to me."

And judging by the look on his face that suggests his brain shut down for a moment before he looks at her with love and desire, she thinks she managed to make it sound better. "I intend to do nothing else the rest of the night," he says before he slides inside, into that part of her that only he has ever known.

He kisses her as if to steal her very breath, and she promptly takes his in return when she squeezes her legs to get him completely inside her.

There's no need for words as they move, slowly picking up speed; every kiss, every sound they make, every movement made says it all for them.

Orgasms aren't always mutual when they have sex, but in a strange way, that just makes them more special.

So Patricia thinks it's more than appropriate that, after everything that's happened and they've said they loved each other, they fall off the edge of perfect pleasure together. That he releases his essence (didn't she once say she would never call it that? oh, who cares?) into her at the same time her body starts milking him for it, mixing it with her own, and her heart feels so full.

He is on top of her, lying against her, once they are finished. She can feel his heart against her chest, and her pleasure addled mind thinks that, if time were to somehow stop right now and freeze them like this, she'd be fine with that.

Her hand strokes the place on his back where his heart is and he moans a little.

"Patricia, I know I'm not as old as I look, but gimme a couple minutes. Said yerself we had all night."

"We're in a relationship now, correct?" She asks. She doesn't know why, but she wants to hear him actually say it.

Zed props himself up so they're face to face. "Yeah, we are." He gently pressed his lips against hers, "I love you, and I'll say it as many times as you need."

Maybe it's the blissful post-coital afterglow, but she can't bring herself to even think about the worries that had driven her out here in the first place.

"I love you, too," Patricia says before softly kissing him in return.

* * *

AN: No, I don't know if cots with headboards exist. Nor do I know where Tannis would have gotten one. I assume it was the only cot left when she bought it, or bought so she could sit up and read at night. I mean, apparently you can fit large babies into storage decks, is the thought of a cot with a headboard that weird?

Some of you might be wondering about the emotional freak out/breakdown and the fact she decided avoiding Zed by leaving Sanctuary was better than facing the possibility of him leaving her on his own. Here's the thing, people with Asperger's will often do things that seem logical or without really thinking about them. People with Asperger's also frequently have problems with anxiety. The two make for a bad combination. Her anxiety is hinted at in her reactions to people being near her, and a few fanfic writers have even depicted such reactions. They probably don't make sense to anyone else. Trust me, I know, I happen to have Asperger's and anxiety problems myself. I essentially ended up channeling my mindset into hers during the freak out paragraphs.

She's actually more like a girl I know who also has Asperger's. They both have the same problems with touch, and they both tend to say what they mean.

And perhaps I should have pointed this out sooner, but I have this headcanon that Tannis isn't as crazy as she seems in the games. Yeah, she went through a… thing with attraction to inanimate objects for a little while, but she's gotten over that. In a kind of weird, backwards logic, she wants to keep from feeling the pain of losing people by making sure people can't get too close. To the point that the stress of actual contact with people she's not comfortable with causes her body to react badly. At the same time, she doesn't really want to be alone. Hence why she stays in Sanctuary at all, or even lives in the same building as other people. She'll try to deny to herself that she cares about people to the point she's practically unaware of how she feels. I'm probably babbling, but there you go.

Also, I'm not sure how old Zed is, but I personally think he's younger than he looks. Older than Patricia, yes. I'd put him late 30s early 40s, but looks older. But I'm horrible at guessing ages. I think Tannis is in her late twenties, though. She doesn't look much older than Lilith and Maya.

And one last thing. There will be no more chapters added to this fic. This last one with actual plot was hard, because I kept getting worried it sounded stupid. Trying to do an over-arcing one? Not gonna happen.

_**HOWEVER!**_

I've been toying with the idea of creating another story consisting of one shots related to this. I know I could just put more chapters on to this, but I don't want to feel like I'm obligated to make more. This way, it's more like whenever I think of an idea that I like enough to put down. Again, it's all related. I just want to avoid feeling like I need add to it.

But, yeah.

They'd probably range from K to M, rating wise.

As always, feel free to review and critique this.

And for anyone interested:

Daughtry: Battleships [like, a lot, especially at the beginning of writing this]

Journey: Girl Can't Help It

Josh Groban: Billy Joel's She's Always a Woman [I just love this version]

Jason Derulo: The Other Side

Elton John: The Panic In Me

Jorge e Mateus: Calma [I looked up the lyrics once and translated them, it seemed like a romantic song]

Savage Garden: I Knew I Loved You

John Michael Montgomery: I Can Love You Like That

Meatloaf: I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That) [Pretty much their theme song for this last chapter]


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